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Clinical trials are essential to discovering whether new healthcare interventions improve outcomes for patients and the public. Our face-to-face MSc in Clinical Trials provides an excellent grounding in clinical trials and will enhance the knowledge and understanding of those already working in the field. Clinical trials is an expanding field which offers many exciting career opportunities.
What will I learn?
You will learn the scientific, methodological and practical issues involved in the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of clinical trials. You will be taught by researchers with expertise in many different healthcare fields. You will learn about all types of trials, from early to late phase trials, and from simple to complex interventions.
Why should I study this degree at UCL?
The Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) at UCL is a global leader in clinical trials, with over 450 researchers, including clinicians, statisticians and trials managers working within it. You will meet and be taught by many of these researchers.
Using a diverse range of clinical trial designs and methodology the ICTM provides evidence that impacts on a wide variety of diseases and has a particularly strong track record in cancer, HIV, tuberculosis, primary care, and mental and women’s health. There is expertise from early to late phase clinical trials, stratified medicine and novel interventions such as targeted therapies.
ICTM is part of the Faculty of Population Health Sciences (FPHS), which comprises 7 Institutes, creating a powerhouse of research and teaching on population health. It is one of four faculties within the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences. Its research elucidates the biological, behavioural and psycho-social processes that operate across an individual’s life, and across generations, that affect the development of disease in populations. This research informs our undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational teaching.
You may see the educational offer at FPHS in the Faculty Education Brochure.
What do our students say?
"The MSc Clinical Trials at UCL has been a perfect addition to my work experience in helping me to progress as a trialist. The timetabling of the part time course has meant I have been able to continue working full-time hours alongside lectures one day a week. The lectures have covered all of the theory and background to so many procedures I had been told to follow at work without really understanding why. I've also been able to put into practice so many new tips and tricks which has improved my performance at work. I'm certain that being enrolled on this course helped my recent successful job application to the NIHR for the role of Industry Facilitator. Having always worked at study sites, being taught about the wider breadth of trial set-up and coordination has been incredibly useful, especially the lectures on trial oversight and research governance. In fact, the tested presentation I had to give at interview was almost exactly the same as a question on the Unit 8 exam paper! I can't wait to return for my second year and continue to further my understanding and career prospects."
- Emily McGinn-Summers, part-time student, MSc Clinical Trials (Completed in 2018)
- MSc Clinical Trials 2018 Graduates, Faculty of Population Health Sciences Graduation Day - 2nd July 2019
Employability
Clinical trials is an expanding and highly competitive field yet employers find it challenging to recruit people with the appropriate skills and knowledge. This programme has been designed in consultation with employers from academia, the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS. It will give graduates the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that employers seek in this multidisciplinary, collaborative field.
Potential career opportunities include trial and data management, statistics, regulation of clinical trials, clinical research, and medical writing. Destinations include academic clinical trials units, the pharmaceutical industry or hospitals to name but a few. You may also use this as a springboard for further study at doctoral level.
Wherever you start from, this programme will enhance your future career opportunities in this field. The course will give students the knowledge and skills needed to be a key team member in the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of high quality clinical trials.